already a problem: exhaust in the cabin

well i got the '69 back to my house on sunday with no problems. me and my wife were riding around later that evening and she said the exhaust was making her sick. i hadn't really noticed it until she did. the floor boards have holes and it was coming up from though that. no i realize, it was actually really bad, my sweatshirt reeked of exhaust. i did a quick and temporary patch of the floor with some flashing and duct tape. after that i was poking around underneath and discovered that exhaust isn't connected at the manifold. i'm guessing that's the real problem? it kind of looks like the bolts are snapped off and creating a gap. what is the best way to go about fixing it? is there some kind of patch? i'm totally new to this so excuse my ignorance.

clamps sound like what i need. can i get them at the auto parts store? also, the PO removed the big metal vent/guard that's below the radiator, maybe that's messing with the air flow? i'll put it back on. the doghouse gasket seems fairly intact, but i'll inspect it closer. thanks for the help.

You may want to also check your rear door seals (rubber). As these bricks go down the road they create a draft that will suck some exhaust through the back door if there is no or poor door seals.

My bet is 95% is coming from your exhaust manifold connection or lack of.

My exhaust was loose and I was able to tighten it up without breaking anything, it made a big difference, as well as a fresh S-10 doghouse gasket. My door seals are all but non-existent so I keep my driver window and forward facing pop-outs open when I drive around, keeps the air flow going the right way, no issues with fumes. Luckily in SoCal it doesn't get too cold.

I'm surprised your van wasn't loud as heck with it that loose.

Good thing for headers then I guess.....

......when I first picked up my '65, while trying to get the engine to fire up, I noticed the first and last bolt on the head weren't actually bolts, but instead just dowel pins.

(I can't remember if the front-most was for exhaust, but the rear-most was definitely for the rear header.)

Anyway, noting the horrible (non)seal this provided at the rear-most header bolt, I was going to replace the dowel pins with a bolt....extract the pin, drill-and-tap as much as the head would allow me to.

I grabbed a pair of vise grips, clamped it on the dowel pins, gave it a few whacks with my BFH, and the thing didn't budge (out) at all. Thought I'd check to see if it spun in the hole. I re-clamped the vise grips on it, and when I tried to move it, I just so happened to try to turn it CCW. After a little bit of force, the thing suddenly loosened and let go.

As it turned out, this "dowel pin", was anything but. It was threaded into an existing tapped hole in the head.

No drilling and tapping necessary!!!! Nice.

I'm just wondering what the OEM setup is supposed to be in those two hole locations.

I forget the years ??= yet ford also had heads -Most all!!- that had some holes in the heads (rear area?) I think?? that went into the exhaust areas. Therefore if later heades were used with hedders & these holes =not plugged up?? exhaust would get out of there & into the vehicle.Maybe on all small block heads after =1976?? cant be exact on the year started ?
These were for egr type applications .

Mine also had the dowel pins in 1st and last holes. I replaced them with actual w studs.

little update: i fixed the loose pipe at the manifold with a clamp kit. i replaced the doghouse gasket (it was really dry rotted). after that i was still getting lots exhaust fumes when i would drive at 40mph+.  the rear doors did have some rusty holes, so i did a quick patch with some auto body tape just to see if it would help. overall, it's a little better but the problem is still there. i've posted to a photo of how the end of the exhaust is set up. i'm wondering if it extended out the side more or ran straight back past the muffler would that make a difference?

Definitely get the tip of the exhaust outside of the body!  Also depending on the condition of the rocker panels , inside and out, that is a potential leak are for fumes.

get it out further!! its going up toward the wheel wells & body areas in fotos!

I have mine coming out the side also but out about 5" more and have no problem. You may want to go straight out the back

straight out the back will come threw the rear doors if there are any gaps. i would just clamp on a 6" peice of pipe and see if it helps.

Having the exhaust exit under the van, will cause fumes in the van. any small hole in the floor or side panels where any sealer is missing will let in the fumes. I thought my floor was hole free until I left the trouble light underneath one night. Inside the van it looked like a star filled sky...lol. My pipe sticks out just under the edge of the body, and could use another 2 inches as well.

today i extended the exhaust a few inches past the body and it FIXED it! i'm so excited!

Glad to here that hutch. We wouldn't want you falling asleep at the wheel.

Congrats Hutch! Definitely don't want to be breathing in those fumes! The older you get the more you appreciate the brain cells you still have left! LOL. Nothing like walking into a room and saying, "What the hell did I come in here for???"  Now you can save those brain cells for later on when you'll need them!

Congrats man! Nothing like driving a vehicle you CAN actually drive without it making you sick!